Emiratis prepare to be at heart of health care

Dubai, UAE: The Ministry of Health and Prevention is on a mission to attract more Emirati men and women to the nursing cadre and has worked out a systematic strategy with financial incentives, scholarships and intensive awareness programmes to attract students to the field and step up their participation from the current four per cent in the sector.

The ministry is acting upon the UAE Cabinet’s recent decision to have greater number of Emirati cadres in the country’s nursing sector. This was first deliberated upon during the ministerial retreat in October 2015 where a clear strategy was worked out to make this profession as attractive as any other. Dr Sumaya Mohammad Al Beloushi, director of nursing at the Ministry of Health and Prevention told Gulf News: “Currently, out of the 4,800 nurses in the Ministry of Health and Prevention Hospitals across the country, only 334 are Emirati. Totally, across all health care sectors in the UAE, about 1,000 Emirati nurses from both genders are employed.”

Dr Yousuf Al Sarkal, assistant undersecretary of the hospital sector at the ministry, said that the ministry had launched a national initiative in October to make nursing an attractive career for Emirati men and women. “It is a strategic career in the health care system and we are looking at imparting technical, administrative, educational training and providing motivational tools and financial incentives to attract Emirati talent,” he said.

Dr Al Beloushi elaborated on the strategy to make nursing more appealing for the Emiratis. “There are three pillars to this initiative – education, motivation and media. [In] education, we are providing scholarships to Emirati students in secondary schools wishing to take up nursing as a career. So far, 39 students have signed up for nursing education after school and have been placed at the Ras Al Khaimah University, Sharjah University or in one of the Higher Colleges of Technology.”

Dr Al Beloushi noted that the ministry was motivating Emirati nurses with bachelor’s degrees to pursue their master’s qualifications and for those with only nursing diplomas to opt for university degrees. In both cases, she said, the students would be assisted in enhancing their educational profile alongside their careers. “So far, about 17 Emirati nurses with diplomas have accepted the scholarship for university graduation and about nine nurses with bachelor’s degree are pursuing their master’s degree,” she added.

The second aspect the ministry is focusing on is motivation. In this respect, it is providing attractive stipends for students on scholarships pursuing nursing degrees besides attractive salaries. “Students who have opted for nursing studies are being paid a stipend of Dh4,500 with accommodation and transport facilities. Those who join hospitals are being given very attractive starting salaries as we want young Emiratis to know that nursing is a very rewarding career path. The new salary proposal is being worked out and will be announced soon,” said Dr Al Beloushi.

The ministry has also launched two awards – Nurse-Friendly Hospital Award and Salma Award for Nursing Innovation. The former will be given to hospitals that offer the most engaging environment for nursing staff in compliance with international standards. The latter is named after the UAE’s first nurse, Salma Al Sharhan, and will be given to the best nursing professional based on creativity and innovation.

The third initiative the ministry has undertaken is to popularise the career option through various social media platforms. “There are 17 activities planned across various social media platforms to create awareness [of this career] and educate Emirati youth about this profession. We are introducing nursing in the curriculum from Kindergarten I and II and Grade I,” Dr Al Beloushi said. “We have also introduced the Rahma initiative to educate families about choosing nursing as a career. We are also including this in student career-counselling groups. Today, young men and women do not have a problem working in shifts or working in places which have people from both genders. The army, aviation and immigration are examples of this and we are wanting young Emiratis to look at nursing as another equally promising career option,” added Dr Al Beloushi.